The Changed and The Fallen
by Morning Bleach
Summary: Small Oneshot on how Soul Society falls and Orihime is lost forever. Warning...its kinda dark...


The first lines of this came to me when i was listening to a sad song on You Tube (This however is more dark.) but i couldn't let it just go and it was right there in my mind...  
It's not shown, just cuz there is not place to put it, but there is UlquXOri there.  
I'd say 'enjoy' but it's kind of depressing... anyhow, Enjoy and Please Review.

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The Changed and The Fallen

She had felt it for a while now, coming on slowly like the sun sinking in the sky. She had been in Hueco Mundo for nearly a month…and they had never come to rescue her. She thought this would make her happy, that her friends had stayed out of harm's way and were still ok. But deep down, hidden for some time now… was resent. And it was growing into something more...

She knew she was weak in her friends' eyes but she had ignored it when she had been allowed to help save Rukia; and again when she had been home with her school friends and those whom she had grown close to during the journey in Soul Society. But now, here in this dark dead world, the truth was starting to dawn on her.

She had thought they would come for her, to save her like they had for Rukia; but as the days went by she began to lose confidence. When those days turned into weeks she began to lose faith. And now she was harboring feelings of anger towards those she thought she loved.

Maybe it was being in a world dominated by the cruel and wicked that was allowing the small portion of her soul that was dark to grow stronger. The more days that passed… the more she began to feel that the darkness was un-reversible.

Aizen was growing more powerful as the time moved forward. She was to spend an hour or two each week observing his methods of rule, as well as the creation of new Arrancar and the ways of the hollows. All the while she would be guarded by her caretaker. If she ever was to leave her room, the stoic pale male was with her every step of the way.

He took her out to walk the palace every other day. It was through these outings that she began to observe the ways of the hollows and Arrancar; of the powerful and the cruel uses theses beings put it too. All the while she was watching… her mind was changing...

Along with her mind, her heart was also growing darker. Shortly after her arrival in Hueco Mundo it had quite bothering her how the Espada would treat their fractions or other lower hollows. She had lost count of how many she had seen die. Sometimes the Espada would rant on about why the creature had deserved to die. At first she could not see the logic behind the senseless murders; but that too had begun to change.

The lower hollows began to fear her as well. The rumors had swept through the castle about her and her god-like power. Before too long they were treating her as their superior, but with hatred in their eyes.

It had scared her for a small amount of time; but once again that changed. She began to be disgusted by the looks of hatred in their eyes as they bowed to her when she passed. She heard the whispers as she left the rooms or turned the corners. Their words of loathing were strong and stronger still because she was a mere human. Nothing but a pathetic meal to them.

When Aizen had heard of such words he had left the punishments to Orihime. She was to choose what they would receive and her caretaker or another would carry them out as she saw fit. She had declined such a thing only the first time the mad man had given her the option. Then she heard the lower Arrancar discussing her in vulgar conversations, suspecting her of getting her power through vile methods.

She had requested for punishments the next day. And as she watched it being carried out, her heart grew blacker, colder. Ulquiorra had escorted her back to her room after the scene. What he witnessed after that, he could not describe.

He remembered when he had first laid eyes on her in the field in the living world. What he saw before him now was not the same woman he had seen that day. From then on he planted the words, …thoughts in her mind. How truly pathetic humans were. Their pointless emotions. Their immature minds, oblivious to the true carnage that was surrounding them.

But hollows were different.

Yes, they knew the carnage and they lived for it and because of it. They were the ones who knew what it meant to be weak and then grow stronger than the rest; to feed on the weak and the wounded. Why should the humans and shinigami be the ones to rule earth and the afterlife when they knew nothing? Only the hollows knew death first hand.

Orihime listened to his words, thought them through while watching the never changing moon. And she began to believe they were true. The shinigami only lived to kill the hollows. What struggle did they go through to active power? How many of them had died trying to merely live till the next day? their next meal? Far fewer then the hollows.

And as her mind changed, she watched Hueco Mundo change too. The balance of power was shifting. She could sense it. As she watched, she learned that even though she could see it, those that should have been aware of the shifting loyalties were blind to it.

The ex-shinigami never saw the hatred in their subordinate's eyes, or the blood lust for these that had killed out of a so called justice for the innocent. But she was not loyal to those men either. When she overheard such talk from the Espada on a rare occasion she took her chance. Joining the conversation as if she truly was an equal, she joined what would soon be a rebellion against the _'kings'_ of Las Noches.

When her friends finally did arrive within the ranks of Seireitei to do battle, they were in for a large shock.

It was Rukia that first laid eyes on her old friend. She had been fighting with an Espada when she first thought she saw her. The distraction had caused her to falter in her movements. A sword ran itself through her shoulder blade as she heard Ichigo's voice calling out to her. The orange haired boy swiftly removed the Espada for the wounded shinigami and began to battle him in her place. Rukia's eyes were soon drawn away from the fight to the splash of orange that had first distracted her.

Her eyes growing wide and she called out to her friend; overjoyed to see Orihime alive and unhurt. However, when Orihime turned to the petite shinigami, her voice faltered.

Rukia saw no resemblance to the bubbly girl from Karakura.

This girl's eyes' were dark and a small circle of purple surrounded them. Orihime's once shiny orange hair was cut short, barley lower than her shoulders. Unkept, it stood still in a ragged style. No smile or friendly eyes adorned her face now; in their place was a blank emotionless stare. Her dress was that of the hollows style now, tightly form-fitting and a large white cape that nearly reached the floor. Her hair pins were both placed on the left side of her head, spaced two inches apart. Their sparkle was present but even it seemed to have changed to a darker glint.

When Orihime met Rukia's eyes the girl did nothing. No reaction came from the once sweet school girl. She simply turned her attention back to the fight that was before her.

Her caretaker was fighting the boy she had once thought she loved. Now all she saw was a bratty teen who thirsted for revenge against what might be considered a cousin to his kind. Orihime heard Rukia, calling for her once more, bagging for the girl to look at her again, but the woman did not turn, nor did she call out to Rukia. As Rukia watched…the boy she had come to love fell before her very eyes. And she was forced to watch her former friend offer a simple 'nice job' to the black haired Arrancar before turning to leave with him.

The next time Orihime was spotted during the battle was in the throne room of Las Noches. The ex-shinigami had gathered with their remaining Espada, (most of who were still alive and now fully healed thanks to the woman). The doors busted open and the remaining captains and those still strong enough to fight came through with what dignity and determination they could show.

That was when the remaining Espada changed course. As Aizen called on them to attack, they did just that. Turning, they drew their swords and struck the three ex-shinigami down. Cries of confusion and anger rose from Aizen, Gin and Tosen; but nothing changed after the Espada attacked.

The captains watched in confusion as their enemies were turned on by their subordinates. It was over within minutes. Even the 'all powerful' Aizen fell beneath the swords of his creations. He was never even given the chance to call on his shikai, let alone his bankai. When the mutiny was complete the Espada turned to the captains.

"You're welcome to hang around if you want a taste of what they received." Grimmjow sneered at them. Nnoitra and Szayel crowed their agreements before they shot forward, attacking the still confused shinigami warriors.

Orihime watched as the captains were forced from the throne room.

A young black cat screeched from the ground beside her, drawing her attention. Yoruichi had been calling out for Orihime to follow her when she too was met with the newly emotionless eyes and hunted features of the once bright girl. The shinigami cat wasn't given another moment to take in the girls features as Orihime opened her mouth to speak.

"Koten Zanshun, I reject." A black glowing fairy shot from Orihime's hair pins, aimed perfectly at Yoruichi. The black feline was barely able to dodge the attack without being harmed. She gave not look back as she shot after the line for retreating shinigami, her tail fluffed up in fear.

Not long after that, a cry for retreat was heard over the sounds of fighting. Slowly, all the shinigami who were not cut down by their opponents escaped and headed back for the sands of Hueco Mundo. From a window high in the palace, Orihime watched as Kisuke Urahara opened a portal back to the Soul Society and the remaining shinigami vanished through it. Not one looked back.

Ulquiorra soon approached the woman who still stood by the window.

"Are you ready for this, woman?" he spoke.

"Yes."

With one last glance at the sand, the woman turned her back to the world she had come from and followed her caretaker down the corridors of the palace with one destination in mind.

The Hogyoku.

It was time for a new life.

End.


End file.
